| Sept. 9, 2005 #416 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
(1) REGULAR ECSTASY USERS RISK DEPRESSION AND DISEASE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Regular users of ecstasy risk contracting infectious diseases and
developing long-term psychological problems associated with anxiety
and depression. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ecstasy lowers the immune defences of the body and destroys the nerve
cells in the brain that help to counteract the effects of depression,
according to Thomas Connor of Trinity College Dublin. "Ecstasy has
important immuno-suppressive properties so it can dampen down the
normal functioning of the immune system which has the potential to
increase an individual's susceptibility to disease," Dr Connor told
the British Association Festival of Science in Dublin. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"The drug has traditionally been associated with the rave dance club
scene, a crowded environment where teenagers congregate - optimal for
transmitting airborne infection between individuals," he said.
"Exposure to higher doses of ecstasy and longer duration of exposure
causes more damage to the immune system." | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ecstasy also damages the nerve cells in the brain that produce the
mood-enhancing neurotransmitter serotonin, an effect that can last
for years and can lead to anxiety and depression. "It does recover
slowly but not in the way it should. There's still damage in the
long term," Dr Connor said. "This could be a predisposing factor to
anxiety, depression, impulsive behaviour, which are associated with
low serotonin." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(2) NATIONAL LAW WOULD WEAKEN IOWA'S METH LAWS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Iowa's three-month-old limits on the sale of pseudoephedrine -- a legal
cold remedy that doubles as a key methamphetamine ingredient -- have
succeeded in slashing the number of hidden homegrown labs churning out
the highly-addictive drug. | ||||||||||||||||||||
That's the good news. The bad news is that a federal government still
appears determined to screw things up. | ||||||||||||||||||||
As usual, it all started with good intentions. Members of Congress saw
what states such as Oklahoma, Iowa and Missouri are doing to limit
access to pseudoephedrine. They correctly believed a set of national
sales limits would be a good idea. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Iowa's congressional delegation argued that Iowa's strict law should be
the national model, confining the sale of most pseudoephedrine products
to licensed pharmacies with tight limits on how much consumers can
purchase. | ||||||||||||||||||||
That would seem reasonable, but not to business interests who have
remarkable power to twist and complicate even the most rational
proposals. Wal-Mart, drug companies and others want a weaker national
law that's less of a burden on their bottom line. And they want every
state to fall in line. | ||||||||||||||||||||
President Bush entered the debate a few weeks back with a bill that
appeared to be ghost-written by Wal-Mart and its allies. The measure
would allow consumers to buy 10 times as much pseudoephedrine in a
single trip to the store as Iowa's law. And it included no pharmacy-
only mandate. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(3) POT-DECRIMINALIZATION BILL STALLS AGAIN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Liberals To Put Legislation On Hold Until After Election | ||||||||||||||||||||
OTTAWA -- The Liberals' contentious bill to decriminalize possession of
small amounts of cannabis will probably be put off until after the
federal election next year. | ||||||||||||||||||||
After being stuck in legislative limbo since it was introduced by the Chretien government more than two years ago, the pot bill has finally climbed to the top of the Commons justice committee's agenda. | ||||||||||||||||||||
It's the only piece of government business left on the committee's
plate, apart from a companion bill dealing with drug-impaired driving
that is poised for quick approval by members. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But Ontario member of Parliament Paul Macklin, parliamentary secretary to Justice Minister Irwin Cotler, said instead of pushing ahead with the cannabis bill, the government will probably approach the opposition about moving ahead quickly with other less contentious initiatives, such as recently tabled bills on proceeds of crime and human trafficking, both of which have all-party support in principle. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"We are still committed to [decriminalization of marijuana] but it's a
question of time, and achieving goals in the period of time that we
have," explained Macklin. "We want as much of our agenda through as we
can." | ||||||||||||||||||||
He suggested the pot bill, which is opposed by the Conservatives, would
likely attract too many witnesses to allow the committee to study and
approve it before the election that is expected to be called by Prime
Minister Paul Martin in January. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(4) JUDGE LETS RAVE ARRESTS STAND (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
ACLU vows to continue fight | ||||||||||||||||||||
FLINT - A judge Thursday refused to dismiss charges against dozens of
people arrested on charges of frequenting a drug house during a
controversial raid on a Flint nightclub in March. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Flint District Judge Ramona M. Roberts said the arrests did not violate the free speech and free assembly rights of those who attended the rave party at Club What's Next and were not caught with illegal drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The ruling was a setback for the American Civil Liberties Union, which
represents 93 people cited under a city ordinance. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Roberts agreed to stay the cases while ACLU lawyers appeal her ruling
to Genesee Circuit Court. | ||||||||||||||||||||
City attorneys lauded the decision, saying it will help keep promoters
from holding drug-based events in the city. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The ACLU vowed to fight the cases all the way through the court system,
if necessary. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Unless this decision is reversed, the police will be able to arrest
anyone in a licensed nightclub or any music concert whenever a
stranger lights up a marijuana cigarette," said Ken Mogill, who leads
a team of 10 ACLU attorneys working on the case. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-8) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Drug war news is slowing down, as media coverage is being devoted to
other disasters. But what's coming through is the same old, same
old, just more specific: finger-pointing between nations; tighter
regulations impacting law-abiding citizens; technological failures
leading to injustice; and, of course, demon drugs lurking everywhere
- even office supply stores. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(5) FOX SAYS BOTH NATIONS SHARE RESPONSIBILITY FOR BORDER VIOLENCE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mexican President Lashes Back At U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||
MEXICO CITY - President Vicente Fox responded over the weekend to
criticism from U.S. authorities about a recent surge in violence and
illegal immigration along the border, saying that the United States
shares responsibility for the problems and should work harder with
Mexico to correct them. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Fox said he rejected "forcefully" the statements by the Bush
administration and governors of border states, contending they had
unfairly depicted Mexico as a haven for organized crime, though his
government has arrested more drug traffickers and dismantled more
cartels than any of its predecessors. He also said Mexican
immigrants had been portrayed unfairly as potential terrorists when
they had in fact become a pillar of the U.S. economy. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In an interview Saturday, Fox acknowledged that his government had a
long way to go to make the border secure. But he said the United
States should stop casting blame for problems created by both
countries. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(6) EIGHT MONTHS AFTER NEW COLD TABLET RESTRICTIONS, MADIGAN WANTS MORE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
SPRINGFIELD - Eight months after new restrictions on cold tablets took effect, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan already wants tougher new laws to curb the state's methamphetamine problem. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Concerns about out-of-state meth users coming to Illinois to load up
on cold tablets containing ephedrine or pseudo-ephedrine,
methamphetamine's main ingredient, has spurred calls to strengthen
the law. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"We must keep pace with our neighboring states to ensure that
Illinois doesn't become the meth shopping mall of the Midwest,"
Madigan told reporters at a Southern Illinois press conference. Both
Iowa and Missouri have adopted stricter controls. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The state's top lawyer touted Iowa and Oklahoma laws that have put
most of the tablets behind pharmacy counters and require customers
to show ID as well as sign a registry. Oklahoma, the birthplace of
pseudoephedrine control, has shown a 54 percent decline in meth lab
seizures from 2003's 1,246 to 669 in 2004 | ||||||||||||||||||||
However, Madigan is calling for something similar to Iowa, where
authorities brag of a 70 percent drop in meth lab seizures since the
new law took effect about three months ago. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(7) SUIT SPURS DEBATE ON HAIR TEST FOR DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
BOSTON - The seven police officers swore they didn't use cocaine,
yet their hair tested positive for the drug. | ||||||||||||||||||||
They are now suing the Boston police department, claiming the
mandatory drug test that got them fired is unreliable and racially
biased. Their civil rights lawsuit is one of many legal challenges
to the use of hair to test for drug use by police officers and
private sector workers. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Employers like the test because it can detect drugs up to three
months after use; urine tests go back one to three days and can be
altered by a range of products. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But critics say hair testing is unfair because drug compounds show
up more readily in dark hair than light hair, and it may pick up
exposure to drugs that doesn't involve the subject actually using
them. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"No one disputes the need to have a zero-tolerance policy with respect to drug abuse by police officers. The question is, how are they being tested for drug abuse and how are their employers using the results of the tests in making employment decisions," said attorney Rheba Rutkowski, who represents the former officers. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The former officers' lawsuit challenges the tests' accuracy and
fairness. Six of the seven - all African-Americans - had a second
hair test conducted that came back negative within days of the
positive result. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"I was in complete and utter shock," said Officer Shawn Noel Harris, who was fired. "I know that I never used drugs a day in my life." | ||||||||||||||||||||
Harris had another hair test, a urine test and a blood test. All were analyzed by a different laboratory and all came back negative. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(8) HEADS-UP TO PARENTS ON 'DUSTING' (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
SACRAMENTO -- You've heard it all before: Teens are using household products to get high, and they're starting younger and younger. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But despite the barrage of media reports on the subject, many
parents report they'd never heard of the problem, until it was too
late. That's why Sacramento school counselor Jon Daily has been
spreading the word about teens and inhalants, specifically the trend
called "dusting," a form of huffing involving the computer cleaner
Dust-Off. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The practice has become so prevalent that some stores have restricted sales of the product to people ages 18 and older. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (9-12) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
More questions than answers this week. Do police have the right to
arrest citizens who publicly identify undercover officers? When will
the drug war finally overwhelm the U.S. Attorney near the Mexican
border? Has the stream of corruption from the U.S. side of the
border slowed down with another series of arrests? And, finally, why
do some people arrested for meth in Arkansas have so many
arrowheads? | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(9) MAN ALERTS TO PRESENCE OF UNDERCOVER OFFICERS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
BRADENTON - Jeffrey Gutierrez just couldn't keep quiet one evening when he saw undercover police hanging around in his neighborhood. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"That's the police! That's the police!" Gutierrez yelled, pointing
to the plainclothes officers in a truck. | ||||||||||||||||||||
He was right, and the police were not amused. Officers in a marked police car showed up a few minutes later and hauled Gutierrez to jail on the misdemeanor charge of obstruction of justice. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But state prosecutors dropped the case within weeks, saying the
Bradenton man had a free speech right to tell the whole neighborhood
about the presence of the undercover officers, so long as the man
wasn't a lookout for the drug dealers on the corner or otherwise
conspiring with them. He wasn't. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The case highlights the long-standing clash between free speech rights and the clandestine nature of some police investigations. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Undercover narcotics detectives are supposed to be the most
invisible officers on the force. They wear black hoods when they
make an arrest. Unlike other officers, their names and job
descriptions are not public record. Blowing an officer's cover could
ruin a case and potentially get him killed. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But prosecutors and Florida appellate courts say that free speech includes the right to disclose an undercover officer's identity. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(10) BORDER CASES KEEP U.S. ATTORNEY BUSY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
TUCSON - The number of federal border issue cases in Arizona is growing, according to the top U.S. attorney in the state. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Our border-related caseload last year was in excess of 5,000," said Paul Charlton, who expects it to be even greater this year. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The 30 assistant U.S. attorneys in Arizona who handle border issues,
which range from prosecuting people and drug smugglers, as well as
other violent crimes committed by illegal border-crossers, have the
heaviest caseloads of any assistant U.S. attorneys anywhere in the
nation, said Charlton, whose title is U.S. Attorney for the District
of Arizona. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The 30 lawyers who specialize in legal issues involving the border
each have between 150 and 180 cases assigned to them, Charlton said
during an interview last week. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"It's an extraordinary caseload," he added. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Along the border, dangerous gangs, many from the tough | ||||||||||||||||||||
The days of when people and drug smugglers would quietly give up are over. Charlton said smugglers will now fight for their cargo. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(11) SIXTEEN MORE SOLDIERS, LAW OFFICERS PLEAD GUILTY IN DRUG STING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
FBI agents posing as cocaine traffickers have snared another 16
former and current soldiers and law enforcement officers in Arizona
who agreed to take bribes to transport drugs past law enforcement
checkpoints. | ||||||||||||||||||||
All 16 agreed to enter guilty pleas before a federal magistrate as
participants in a bribery and extortion conspiracy, a Justice
Department official said Wednesday. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In May, another 17 former and current law enforcement officers and
soldiers pleaded guilty in the same conspiracy, which operated from
January 2002 through March 2004 and involved the transport of about
1,474 pounds of cocaine, acting Assistant Attorney General John
Richter said in a release. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In addition, several Air Force personnel were charged last spring in
military court under the same cocaine conspiracy, but their cases
have not been resolved, a spokeswoman at Davis-Monthan Air Force
Base said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(12) ARKANSAS METH ADDICTS SEEM TO BE COLLECTING ARROWHEADS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Dealers And Users Trade Artifacts Among Themselves, Suspect Says | ||||||||||||||||||||
SEARCY, Ark. - The time-consuming and methodical motion of searching
for arrowheads on farmland and in riverbeds seems to appeal to
methamphetamine addicts, a sheriff says. | ||||||||||||||||||||
White County Sheriff Pat Garrett said that after more than 100 search warrants, he has come to expect arrowheads, many thousands of years old, when he storms the home of suspected meth makers. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"I noticed it when I first started. It just seemed there were always
Indian arrowheads, and I couldn't figure it out," Sheriff Garrett
said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tony Young of Velvet Ridge said the sheriff is on to something. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"You get kind of wired on that stuff, and you need to have something
to do," said Mr. Young, who is in the White County jail awaiting
trial on methamphetamine charges. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mr. Young, 36, sold his arrowhead collection to a local dealer for $1,250 - enough to pay for a defense attorney. He said "head hunting" filled his need for activity when he was on meth. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (13-16) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
We begin this week with an examination of the growing controversy
surrounding the regulation of San Francisco's medical cannabis
dispensaries, which has resulted in three competing proposals
currently being considered by the city council. With a focus on the
Green Cross and the Mendo Healing Clinic, the San Francisco Examiner
article reports on the city's attempt to balance neighborhood
concerns over crime and the public use of cannabis, with the medical
necessity of its sick and suffering citizens. Our second story looks
at the growing financial viability of Ontario's burgeoning hemp
industry in light of every-increasing oil prices. Hemp can be used
both as a fuel, and as a natural fiber replacement to | ||||||||||||||||||||
Our third story is a comprehensive and entertaining article by the Independent on Sunday's David McCandless, who examines the growth of the U.K's "connoisseur" cannabis market. And lastly this week, news that only four people attended a recent meeting organized by Jamaica's Coalition for Ganja Reform. The meeting addressed the Jamaican parliament's current consideration of alternatives to prohibition following a report by the National Commission on Ganja to decriminalize the personal use of cannabis by adults. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(13) MEDICAL POT CLUBS UNDER SCRUTINY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Two of San Francisco's better-known medical pot clubs have been put
on notice by The City as officials grapple with the burgeoning
industry amidst growing neighborhood protests. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Green Cross in the Mission must make major changes to regain its
permit and the Mendo Healing clinic may not relocate to Potrero
Avenue while The City's current moratorium is in effect, city
planning officials have ruled. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In April, the Board of Supervisors imposed a 45-day moratorium --
that has since been extended -- as it began to sort out how to
regulate The City's medical marijuana business that functions with
little legal supervision. Three pieces of legislation are currently
being floated detailing health and safety rules for 40-plus
medicinal marijuana facilities, which include permit requirements.
Although both of these clubs had taken out business permits, many
others have not. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, who introduced one of three competing
sets of regulations to protect the patients under voter-backed state
Proposition 215 while minimizing problems in the vicinity, said he
has questions about the latest actions, some of which appear to go
beyond any of the proposed restrictions. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(14) ONTARIO HEMP INDUSTRY READY FOR GROWTH (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Rising Oil Costs Make Natural Product Viable Alternative | ||||||||||||||||||||
The provincial hemp industry is at a pivotal time, the president of
the Ontario Hemp Alliance says. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"The rapidly increasing cost of oil is putting a lot of industries
into a serious mode of pursuing bio fibres and alternative sources
for energy," Gordon Scheifele says. "A year or six months ago, it
was only curiosity or interest." | ||||||||||||||||||||
Industrial hemp is an alternative to synthetic materials for
products, including car interior linings, plastics and carpet
backing. Hemp is also used to produce cooking oils and other food
products, Scheifele says. | ||||||||||||||||||||
He adds, however, that Ontario's hemp industry is still in its infancy in terms of growing, processing and commercialization. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(15) HIGH SOCIETY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
At Up To UKP300 An Ounce, Exotic Strains Of Designer Cannabis Are Fuelling A Booming Market In Herbal Highs For Affluent Smokers | ||||||||||||||||||||
You've smelt it, wafting sweetly across the park, floating over the
fence from the pumping party next door, rising to greet you off the
plane at Schiphol Airport. Is that a hint of pine? With an undertone
of blackberry? Ah, yes, it's the unmistakable complexity of gourmet
cannabis. | ||||||||||||||||||||
For an emerging generation of herb elitists, the generic skunk sold
on street corners - the plonk of the cannabis world - no longer hits
the spot. These media executives, creative professionals and party
people choose to have their executive brain functions impaired by
only the best brands of cannabis: AK47, Charas, Kali Mist - vintage
weeds that represent the summit of 25 years of selective breeding
and artisan horticulture. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Why fly economy?" says Samuel, 34, who works as a graphic designer
for the music industry. "Connoisseur varieties are for those who
want to smoke but don't want to be monged out or fall unconscious
under a radiator." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(16) LONELY LOBBYISTS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
No one shows for ganja forum | ||||||||||||||||||||
THE weed itself is vastly popular, pungently so. But given a chance yesterday, even those who imbibe stayed away from a forum put together by lobbyists for decriminalising ganja. Virtually no one showed up. To be more precise, only four people were there. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The meeting, hosted by the Coalition for Ganja Law Reform and meant
to push support for reform of the laws governing the use of
marijuana locally, attracted only three members of the group's board
of directors and the guest speaker Dr Morais Guy who chairs the
Joint Select Committee examining recommendations of the National
Commission on Ganja. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Despite the lack of participants at the Knutsford Court Hotel, Guy
used the opportunity to update the coalition members on the progress
of the recommendations that is now up for debate in parliament,
having been tabled last year. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"There's a feeling that the delay has to do with inertia on the part
of the committee and the unwillingness for government to explore the
Chevannes report," Guy said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"However, many factors intervened and that included the fact that
the parliamentary year was restricted in terms of the number of
debates we could have," he added, assuring that he will have the
report debated on during the winter. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Yesterday, Guy also said he was concerned that Jamaica could get
left behind if government fails to give the issue the attention it
needs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"I feel strongly that in the whole scheme of things internationally
we are going to be left behind in terms of what we can get from
ganja economically and what we can do with it economically," he said
referring, countries such as Australia, Canada an even some corners
of the United States that have somewhat soften their policies on the
weed. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (17-19) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
When drinking alcohol was prohibited by law in the U.S., outlaws sold illegal liquor that all too often was adulterated with poisons. Under-age drinking became common; illegal speakeasies had no incentive to keep juveniles from buying liquor. Under drug prohibition, the situation is similar. Last week in British Columbia, Canada, a thirteen-year-old girl died from an apparent amphetamine overdose when she took what was believed to be Ecstasy. "Nobody cares about quality control in [prohibited] street drugs," noted a local health official. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Over in Ontario, Canada, officials said perhaps more than was
intended when they admitted their drug war is a "losing battle." The
Kelowna city narcotics squad in "could be three times the size and
we could do a grow every day -- and still have plenty left over,"
confessed Kelowna cop Cpl. Carey Chernoff. "You feel like you've got
your finger in the dike a lot of the time." | ||||||||||||||||||||
As happened in Afghanistan, the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq
has been a boon to heroin traffickers, according to reports. Saddam
Hussein in Iraq, like the Taliban in Afghanistan, punished drug
"crimes" without regard for niceties like human rights. But after
the U.S. invasion, "the lawless environment has offered the perfect
conditions for smuggling, promising a lucrative income for
terrorists and criminals," according to a Sydney Morning Herald
article this week. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(17) POLICE, HOSPITAL SAY AMPHETAMINE KILLED TEENAGER (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Girl Buys Drug On Victoria Street, Suffers Reaction | ||||||||||||||||||||
A 13-year-old girl died last night after taking street drugs in
Victoria on the weekend. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The girl and two friends consumed what they believed was ecstasy,
which they bought in downtown Victoria on Saturday. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
"It's an amphetamine, we know that. It could be crystal meth. It
could be ecstasy. We don't know that at this point." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Said Dr. John Blatherwick, chief medical officer for the Vancouver
Coastal Health Authority: "Nobody cares about quality control in
street drugs." | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(18) WAR ON GROW-OPS A LOSING BATTLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
KELOWNA -- Even if Kelowna RCMP could bust a grow-op a day, they
would never catch up with the amount of marijuana being cultivated
here | ||||||||||||||||||||
Cpl. Carey Chernoff, head of the drug unit in Kelowna, said there
are several hundred grow-ops in the Central Okanagan, perhaps up to
1,000 Valley-wide | ||||||||||||||||||||
"The drug unit at Kelowna city could be three times the size and we
could do a grow every day -- and still have plenty left over," said
Chernoff | ||||||||||||||||||||
"We'd never catch up with all of them. It's that prolific." Kelowna
RCMP average about two grow busts a week | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
"We're doing what we can. We haven't backed off. We will still do
our part, but it does get frustrating. You feel like you've got your
finger in the dike a lot of the time." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Chernoff was reluctant to provide details on techniques used in a
bust, but said, as with any investigation, the first step is to get
a search warrant. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"This can start with a tip from a concerned citizen or through Crime
Stoppers," he said. "It takes a lot of power to generate a grow, so
we might get our hands on hydro records. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"We can do infrared readings for heat signatures that are conducive
to a grow." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Asked whether he had any personal opinions on legalization of
marijuana Chernoff said: | ||||||||||||||||||||
"I don't know if there is a policeman who doesn't give that some
thought. I find that if I try to wrap my head around the bigger
social and political problems surrounding drugs, it's easy to lose
focus on what my job is. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"I keep it in simple terms: it's illegal, and it's my job to enforce
the law." | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(19) IRAQ A NEW TRANSIT POINT FOR DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Fears that lawless postwar Iraq is becoming a haven for | ||||||||||||||||||||
Officers posing as would-be buyers have found 20 kilograms of the
drug hidden in a car, the latest in a string of increasingly large
seizures in the past year. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Afghan-produced heroin comes in via Iraq's porous border with
Iran, creating what United Nations officials say is an important new
drug route to Europe. | ||||||||||||||||||||
During Saddam Hussein's rule, heroin was virtually unknown in Iraq
because of his police-state law enforcement, which imposed the death
penalty even for possession. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Since his fall the lawless environment has offered the perfect
conditions for smuggling, promising a lucrative income for
terrorists and criminals. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Telegraph, London; Reuters | ||||||||||||||||||||
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HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
MARIJUANA USE BY YOUNG PEOPLE | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Impact Of State Medical Marijuana Laws | ||||||||||||||||||||
by Karen O'Keefe, Esq., Legislative Analyst, Marijuana Policy Project
and Mitch Earleywine, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology,
University at Albany, State University of New York | ||||||||||||||||||||
Released September 7, 2005 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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September 8, 2005 - London, United Kingdom | ||||||||||||||||||||
London, United Kingdom: The downgrading of cannabis to a non-arrestable
offense has not been associated with an increase in adolescents' use of
the drug, according to survey data published by the United Kingdom's
Department of Health. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
DEA NOSTALGIC FOR ALCOHOL PROHIBITION? | ||||||||||||||||||||
By Scott Henson at Grits For Breakfast | ||||||||||||||||||||
http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2005/09/dea-nostalgic-for-alcohol-prohibition.html | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
UNDERSTANDING "NEED" FOR TREATMENT | ||||||||||||||||||||
By Pete Guither at Drug War Rant | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
2004 NATIONAL SURVEY ON DRUG USE AND HEALTH (NSDUH) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Health and Human Services has released the 2004 National Survey on Drug
Use and Health (nsDUH). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Basic links to the PDF version of the report are at | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
IS METH A PLAGUE, A WILDFIRE, OR THE NEXT KATRINA? | ||||||||||||||||||||
Or is it a million times more horrible than all of them combined? | ||||||||||||||||||||
By Jacob Sullum | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
IS ANYTHING NOT INTERSTATE COMMERCE? | ||||||||||||||||||||
Will a Supreme Court led by John Roberts find limits to Congress' power? | ||||||||||||||||||||
By Jacob Sullum | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
A/K/A TOMMY CHONG | ||||||||||||||||||||
Filmmaker Josh Gilbert follows the tragic and absurd journey of legendary counter-culture comedian Tommy Chong who in 2003 was indicted for distributing art glass water pipes over the internet. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
CULTURAL BAGGAGE RADIO SHOW | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| ||||||||||||||||||||
Listen Live Fridays 8:00 PM, ET, 7:00 CT, 6:00 MT & 5:00 PT at
http://www.KPFT.org/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
CANNABINOID CHRONICLES NEWSLETTER | ||||||||||||||||||||
By the Vancouver Island Compassion Society | ||||||||||||||||||||
The latest issue is available at: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
DEA LAUNCHES WEB SITE TO CURB TEEN DRUG USE | ||||||||||||||||||||
The site includes information on prescription drug abuse, the
societal costs of drug use, drug overdoses, the effects of drugs
and federal penalties for drug convictions. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
WHAT YOU CAN DO THIS WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
WORLD-WIDE PROTESTS FOR MARC EMERY SEPTEMBER 10-17 | ||||||||||||||||||||
On September 10th through 17th, people in cities in Canada, the United States, and across the globe are uniting in protest against this alarming infringement on Canadian sovereignty and unprecedented escalation by the Bush administration of the failed War on Drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
WAR ON DRUGS ISN'T WORKING VERY WELL AT ALL | ||||||||||||||||||||
By Caroline Cook | ||||||||||||||||||||
Dr. Phil McGraw is famous for his line, "And how's that working for you?" - a question that invariably brings out the truth that the individual has been engaging in a totally unproductive and usually harmful behavior in a vain attempt to solve some personal problem. On Sunday night, I heard Howard Wooldridge, a retired police officer, ask an audience the same question about the "War on Drugs." | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wooldridge is riding his horse, Misty, across the country to help
people understand that we need to try something else, because the
criminalization of drugs isn't working for us. He is a member of Law
Enforcement Against Prohibition ( LEAP ), which is made up of
current and former members of law enforcement who support drug
regulation rather than prohibition. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wooldridge made a lot of sense when he pointed out, among a host of
other evidence, that drugs have become cheaper, more available and
more potent than they were in 1970. Prohibition of alcohol did not
work in the 1920s, and the war on drugs ( really a war on people )
isn't working for us now. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Visit the LEAP Web site at www.leap.cc, and draw your own
conclusion. | ||||||||||||||||||||
How's the war on drugs working for us? Shouldn't we try something
new? | ||||||||||||||||||||
Caroline Cook | ||||||||||||||||||||
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LETTER WRITER OF THE MONTH - AUGUST (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
DrugSense recognizes Russell Barth of Ottawa, Canada for his
fourteen letters published during August. Russell writes most often
as a representative of Educators For Sensible Drug Policy
http://efsdp.org/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
Russell's total published letters, that we know of, are up to 141 as
noted at http://www.mapinc.org/lte/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
You may read all of his published letters at | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medical Marijuana Research Should Be Legalized | ||||||||||||||||||||
By Michael Krawitz | ||||||||||||||||||||
A classic question of morals, ethics and philosophy: Would you
rather be a righteous man in prison or an immoral man lavished with
accolades and riches? This classic conundrum is quite evident today
if you pay close attention. | ||||||||||||||||||||
For example, a group of nuns travel to the terrorist-training School
of Americas in Fort Benning, Ga., each year to protest and often get
arrested. I would call those nuns righteous prisoners. Real life is
most often less cut-and-dry than philosophy class and the moral
decisions we make are often heavily colored by the many variables of
our lives. | ||||||||||||||||||||
It may be at less personal expense for an artist, for example, to
stand up against the unjust marijuana laws than a college professor.
Indeed, in my research, I have found a professor who caved in to the
pressure that seems to naturally oppress the righteous. Then drug
czar of the United States, Dr. Robert Dupont was a righteous man who
read the literature, knew the truth and acted on it. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Marijuana should be decriminalized" he declared! Well, Dupont, a
Harvard-trained psychiatrist, was besieged with soccer moms armed
with bongs bought at the corner store and butts of joints they found
stashed by their clean-cut suburban kids. What was probably the last
straw for Dupont was the fact that newspapers were now referring to
him as the pot doc!! Him, a Harvard trained physician! | ||||||||||||||||||||
Dupont changed his ways and now is one of the most prominent
anti-drug zealots worldwide. His Harvard accolades restored, Dupont
was soon bestowed with great riches. Dupont, together with ex-DEA
administrator Peter Bensinger, run Bensinger, DuPont & Associates
which boasts 1,200 branch offices across the country. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The problem is that marijuana is the backbone of workplace drug
testing and both these guys had pivotal roles in marijuana's
prohibition. If it were as legal to smoke a joint after work as it
is to drink a martini, then a trace of either substance in urine
days later means nothing. The implications make my soul ache.
Another Harvard graduate took a different path. Dr. Rick Doblin
learned the truth about Cannabis early on and weaved his knowledge
into his career. His Harvard master's thesis focused on the
attitudes and experiences of oncologists concerning the medical use
of marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Doblin's dissertation (Public Policy, Harvard's Kennedy School of
Government) was on the regulation of the medical use of marijuana.
When I spoke with Doblin he assured me that he was very well
received at the Kennedy school. He retold a story of an early
assignment where he and his team were given a police department in
Portland, Ore., to streamline. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Doblin insisted his team's submission state that the Portland police
resources could be better spent than on marijuana arrests. When
Doblin's team's submission was chosen as a model paper by the
professor, Doblin was no longer afraid to stand by the truth. Doblin
started an organization called the Multidisciplinary Association for
Psychedelic Studies, a non-profit membership-based research and
educational organization that sponsors clinical studies designed to
obtain FDA approval. | ||||||||||||||||||||
A non-profit pharmaceutical company, how cool! Today the MAPS
organization has studies going on with all kinds of schedule 1
drugs, except one. One drug the U.S. government considers far too
dangerous to handle. That plant substance is, you guessed it,
marijuana! Doblin's organization has been duking it out with the DEA
for years and years over this. His organization backed a doctor out
in California, Dr. Donald Abrams of U.C. San Francisco. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Abrams had one study protocol after another passed by FDA and
declined by DEA until the doctor figured out the only way he would
ever conduct a marijuana study was if the protocol only discussed
potential harms of pot and no potential benefits. Ever hear a drug
warrior say that marijuana should pass the same rigorous FDA trials
as other drugs, well now you see this is because they have a jack
boot squarely on the neck of that process. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Doblin doesn't give up; I told him he has the patience of Job in dealing with the DEA and he chuckled. But he does! I think he is like the Albert Schweitzer of Enthogens. Some day kids will read about him in high school history books. But for now the saga continues. The method by which the DEA prevents medical marijuana research is through a legal monopoly over the NIDA supply. | ||||||||||||||||||||
MAPS has teamed up with prominent University of Massachusetts in
Amherst horticulturist Dr. Lyle Craker to grow a small supply of
research grade marijuana. The DEA is fighting this tooth and nail as
you might expect. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The two sides are now embroiled in a DEA federal court battle due
back in court at DEA 26 Sept. - 30 Sept. 2005 but as was the case
in 1988 when DEA federal administrative court judge Francis L.
Young, declared that marihuana in its natural form fulfilled the
legal requirement of currently accepted medical use in treatment in
the United States the DEA brass can just overrule the judges order
as they did in March 1992. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The DEA was created in 1973 and the petition to reschedule marijuana
was filed in 1972. Ever since 1973 the DEA has used its immense
power to stifle any progress into marijuana medical testing while
all the while claiming marijuana should not be used medically since
it hasn't been tested. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Very frustrating indeed. Doblin said that his Amherst project could be easily funded if student organizations dedicated to marijuana legalization at various colleges would each submit a donation of 1,250 - enough to pay for one ounce of research grade Cannabis. I hope the NORML chapter here at Virginia Tech is able to contribute to this worthy project. It will be good for their souls. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Though force can protect in emergency, only justice, fairness,
consideration and cooperation can finally lead men to the dawn of
eternal peace." - Dwight D. Eisenhower | ||||||||||||||||||||
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